Artists: Timothy B. Boor

Timothy B. Boor

How did you originally get into tattooing? I got into tattooing when a friend of mine became a partner in a tattoo shop. He then asked his partner if he would be willing to teach me to tattoo and then proceeded to talk me into learning. He knew of me as an artist because we were in bands together and I used to draw up the album art.

You were previously a full-time artist at Paul Booth’s Last Rites Tattoo Theater. What was that experience like?The whole thing was an amazing experience. I was incredibly honored when Paul called me and asked me to work at a shop such as Last Rites. The experience was incredible. Coming from Indiana I wasn’t sure if I would end up liking New York, but it’s one of my favorite cities on Earth now. The transition was fairly easy to get used to. All I had to do was learn how to tattoo in the dark and slowly evolve into a cave fish. It was very inspiring to work with the crew that I worked with while I was there. Of course Paul Booth is amazing—anyone could learn from him—but you also had Stefano Alcantara, who is one of my favorite people on earth. I also got to be around Little Dragon, Markus Blanchard, and Toxyc, all who are among my favorite artists in the dark art realm. I still go back there frequently as a part-timer.

You have now transitioned to shop owner of The Bohemian Tattoo Club and Gallery. What inspired you to open a shop? When my wife, Kristin, and I originally had to return to Indiana, we were thinking of opening up a private studio. After thinking of it more I knew I’d really miss the collaborative atmosphere of tattoo shops. The only way I wanted to open the full-blown shop was if I could get a couple of guys locally to work for me. So I called up Matthew Davidson and Bradley Pearce and asked them if they would be interested in joining my shop. Fortunately for me, they both said yes and then the decision was put down in stone to open the shop.

How would you describe your tattoo style? The style I prefer personally is realism and surrealism, mainly dark surrealism. I’m known for doing a lot of straight-up realism and copy work, like portraits, but I have always been drawn to the more twisted, bent side of things.

What inspires you as an artist? I have always been enthralled by the idea of science and religion, and a lot of the ideas that I use in my artwork stem from the far reaches of space and time.

What separates you from other artists? The way that I see and interpret things—I feel like in another life I was a symbologist of sorts. The way that I interpret ideas involves a lot of research into different ways to portray a particular subject matter and set different moods.

Before someone gets a tattoo what advice do you give them? To think deeper into what they want and tell them to think of ways to incorporate something meaningful. If it is not something meaningful, then it should be something that is just so amazing looking that you will never get sick of it. Also, give your artist some freedom to help you and you will end up getting an amazing piece.

What has been one of your favorite pieces to tattoo? It is the sleeve that I am doing on my wife, and I am really liking where it is going. She told me she wanted a sleeve with the theme of love. I have incorporated a lot of Greek and Roman mythology mixed with all kinds of other symbols.